The Erie County Legislature committee session on Thursday heard from a police officer, doctor and county health commissioner. Then, it heard from two moms who buried sons and a suburban teacher who has attended 15 wakes for former students.

Erie County Legislature Democrats have a new leader, as members chose Amherst member Thomas Loughran as minority leader. Betty Jean Grant says she just couldn't get the votes for another year as party leader.

It was a busy day Thursday for the Erie County Legislature as it passed legislation to regulate pawn shops, supported earlier drinking hours on Sunday and asked Albany to require minimum staffing in hospitals and nursing homes.

“Quick and painless” is how legislators described the final approval process for the 2016 Erie County Budget. Residents can expect to see a decrease in taxes for the second year in a row and more funding for the fight against the county’s growing epidemic of drug abuse.

Erie County Legislators are struggling to come up with legislation to deal with the stolen merchandise in pawn shop problem, criminals fencing stolen property to come up with cash and these days that's increasingly for heroin.

The Erie County Legislature approved a ban on plastic microbeads Thursday. Legislators also wrangled over a state plan to raise the minimum wage in some fast food restaurants and over a demand that Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz meet with legislators about the problems in Child Protective Services.

The Erie County Legislature is scheduled to vote Thursday on legislation banning the sale of products containing microbeads in Erie County. The proposed measure is believed to be the strongest ban on microbeads in the nation.

One day after promoting the financial benefits to Erie County of completing vehicle registration renewals through local auto bureaus, Erie County Clerk Chris Jacobs was before the County Legislature's Economic Development Committee on Thursday to support a proposed law that would designate how those revenues would be spent.